The Voice

In 'The Voice' season 23 premiere, freshman coach Niall Horan makes an unprecedented move to get singer Ross Clayton onto his team.

[Kelly Clarkson](https://ew.com/person/kelly-clarkson/) told Ross that he has "a huge, beautiful gift" while Chance loved his "unique tone," but when it came time for Niall to pitch, he decided to do things a little differently. He's been wondering who would take over the mantle of Team Blake once he's gone and Niall's chair trick gave him "the confidence that he can be the liar he needs to be to cover for Team Blake from now on." So by the time Ross Clayton, a country singer with a rock edge, stepped on stage to perform Keith Urban's "Blue Ain't Your Color," Niall was desperate to finally win over an artist with a pitch to join his team. Playing off of their little father/son coaching duo vibe, Blake came over to Niall after and told him, "I'm damn proud of you, son." That's never been done," Niall said in his attempt to woo Ross to his team. [season 23 coaches panel](https://ew.com/tv/the-voice-season-23-coaches-first-promo/) is shy, especially not [Niall Horan](https://ew.com/person/niall-horan/), who, along with [Chance the Rapper](https://ew.com/person/chance-the-rapper/), made his coaching debut on The Voice's season 23 premiere.

Niall Horan certainly made his presence felt on the season premiere of “The Voice” when he got on his knees begging a contestant to join his team.

“Your voice is absolutely incredible,” he said. “Forget about whatever any of them said. Oklahoma native Ross Clayton performed Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” prompting Blake Shelton to turn his chair around about 35 seconds into the performance. That didn’t preclude the coaches from trying to sway him, though. “There’s fans of mine who would really love to take you under their wing, but I’m telling you please, please,” he continued while getting on his knees, which whipped the audience into a frenzy. Niall Horan certainly made his presence felt on the season premiere of “The Voice.”

The Voice is officially back for season 23. With the show's Monday (March 6) premiere, the competitive blind auditions have commenced, which saw new coach ...

“Niall, let’s go,” Clayton said, launching the beginning of their coach-mentor relationship. I came up onto a show like this when I was 16 years old and I get to point at fans of mine in this room. I need a little privacy,” the former One Direction member said before pressing the button to turn the chair of each of the coaches to face away from the stage. Shelton, naturally, had a tough act to follow. With the show’s Monday (March 6) premiere, the competitive blind auditions have commenced, which saw new coach [Niall Horan](https://www.billboard.com/artist/niall-horan/) use a few unusual tactics to get contestant Ross Clayton to join his team. [Shelton] was about to go, ‘This is my last season on this show, it’ll be an honor and a privilege.’ So Ross, please join me!”

'The Voice' season 23 begins with some unprecedented moves by Niall Horan to win over his first singer. See every singer who made a coach's team in the ...

It works — even Blake is impressed with Niall's Blind Audition tactics. He's a pro, and thanks to [Chance's quick-thinking Blake Shelton block](https://ew.com/tv/the-voice-contestant-also-on-american-idol/), the freshman coach has a real contender on his team. Audition Song: "Change the World" by Eric Clapton Audition Song: "River" by Leon Bridges Audition Song: "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd from The Wiz with them right on the spot. He's emotional and soulful and knows how to work the dynamics of the song — Kelly's excited. How will the teams stack up as we journey through the Blind Auditions into the Battles and Knockouts, all leading up to the live rounds? Audition Song: "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran [The Voice](https://ew.com/creative-work/the-voice/) is upon us! And, if you haven't heard, it's Voice stalwart (and nine–time winner!!) [Blake Shelton](https://ew.com/person/blake-shelton/)'s [final run on the show](https://ew.com/tv/the-voice-coaches-preview-season-23/) after 23 seasons and 12 years. This season we have a few [notable developments](https://ew.com/tv/the-voice-reba-mcentire-mega-mentor-season-23-changes/).

The Voice kicked off Season 23 with some artists who had personal connections to Blake Shelton, but Kelly Clarkson made an astute observation.

[Kelly Clarkson returned to The Voice](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/is-the-voice-setting-up-kelly-clarksons-return-by-going-back-to-two-seasons-per-year) for the Season 23 premiere, [reigniting her rivalry](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/blake-shelton-hilariously-slams-kelly-clarkson-after-she-took-shot-at-him-and-i-need-this-rivalry-to-thrive-again-on-the-voice) with Blake Shelton from the jump. Back on Season 21, two contestants brought meaningful gifts for the Oklahoma native, and in that case as well, he had not turned for either of them, Later on in the season premiere, an artist from Blake Shelton’s hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, and a regular performer at his bar Ole Red, took the stage. She said that was the moment she knew she wanted to be an artist, and she even brought a photo they'd taken together at the show. What made it a particularly special night for Shelton was the fact that a couple of the contestants who took the stage shared personal connections to the singer, and while there were definitely sweet and sentimental moments, Kelly Clarkson kept it real with her own take on the situation. Holly Brand, a 22-year-old singer from Mississippi, shared that her first big moment as a performer came when she was just 10 years old and had the opportunity to open for Blake Shelton.

Read our recap of 'The Voice' Season 23 premiere, pick your favorite of the Blind Auditions and grade Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan.

Smooth (Team Kelly), “Perfect” — Grade: C+ Tasha Jessen (Team Blake), “River” — Grade: B+ NOIVAS (Team Chance), “A Change Is Gonna Come” — Grade: A Holly Brand (Team Kelly), “Mississippi Girl” — Grade: A- Neil Salsich (Team Blake), “Honky Tonk Blues” — Grade: B+ (Team Niall), “Save Your Tears” — Grade: C+

Season 23 kicked off Monday, March 6, 2023, with first-time coaches Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.

Sling is offering a half-price deal to get the first month for $20. [Sling](https://go.skimresources.com/?id=126006X1587341&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F&xcust=xid:fr1678190254082cbf) streaming service is $40 a month for the Orange (31 channels) or Blue (41 channels) Levels. The Premium Plus plan is $9.99 a month. FuboTV has a [seven-day free trial](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=366904&irmp=1810047&subId3=xid:fr1678190254082dge). Some content is available for free although you still need to log in. If a coach likes the sound of the singer, he or she pushes a button that rotates their big red chair to face the artist. That also means the coach is choosing that artist for their team. [FuboTV ](https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=366904&irmp=1810047&subId3=xid:fr1678190254082hha)is a streaming service that offers more than 100 live and on-demand channels and includes cloud DVR. I would love to give you the platform to show yourself to this world. If more than one coach pushes the button, then the artist must decide who they will select as their coach. xid:fr1678190254082bad)plans start at $4.99 a month for Premium. He twice competed on “American Idol.” Wright is from Texas.

Watch Ross Clayton's Blind Audition of Keith Urban's "Blue Ain't Your Color" on The Voice Season 23. Niall Horan's strategy in securing Clayton on his team ...

"Woo!" "Privacy?" [Clarkson was delightfully dumbfounded](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/the-voice-season-22-coach-performances-watch) as she was spun backward, too. "He was just about to call, 'This my last season on this show, it would be an honor and a privilege.' So please!" "I need a bit of privacy." I didn't know you could do that!" "This is for television." "Whoa! I need to pitch to you properly," Horan said while standing. Because you already have a lot of depth, but if you show people the vulnerable side as well as that power, I think that would be really rad," [first night of Blind Auditions](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/the-voice-new-coaches-season-23-announcement) on March 6 was mind-blowing, with many Artists leaving the Coaches speechless by their performances. [The Voice](https://www.nbc.com/the-voice) is back!

Longtime coaches John Legend and Gwen Stefani, and Camila Cabello — who made her debut as a “Voice” coach last season — are not a part of Season 23. Instead, ...

Most recently, he won this past season with country singer Bryce Leatherwood, the [Deseret News](https://www.deseret.com/2022/12/13/23508596/the-voice-winner-2022-bryce-leatherwood) reported. The Irish singer-songwriter has since released solo work and has a third album coming out this summer, [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/niall-horan-third-album-the-show-first-single-heaven-1235255193/) reported. “The Voice” airs on NBC Mondays at 7 p.m. After a season away from “The Voice,” longtime coach Clarkson has reclaimed her spot. MST and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. The Chicago-based artist, who incorporates jazz and gospel influences in his music, released his debut studio album in 2019. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blake-shelton-announces-leaving-voice-23rd-season-rcna51822). Episodes are available to stream on Peacock the following day. [NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/how-many-times-has-blake-shelton-won-the-voice#:~:text=Season%2022's%20winner%20of%20The,fixture%20within%20the%20music%20scene.). [Kelly Clarkson](https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/18/23411000/the-voice-2022-kelly-clarkson-coming-back) and [Blake Shelton](https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/2/27/21156425/nbc-the-voice-tate-brusa-nick-jonas-utah-blake-shelton-puppy). [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/niall-horan-one-direction-ten-best-songs-solo-this-town-7533386/). [It marked the first time](https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/chance-the-rapper-coloring-book-first-streaming-only-album-grammy-7686341/) an album only available for streaming won a Grammy, per [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/chance-the-rapper-coloring-book-first-streaming-only-album-grammy-7686341/).

Sheer Element is a singing trio. · Sheer Element's Blind Audition airs on March 7. · Sheer Element features a former Voice contestant.

[TikTok account](https://www.tiktok.com/@sheerelement/video/6992656841717189894). Sheer Element also includes Izzy Kaye and Tabon Ward. [Blind Audition](https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/who-is-noivas-the-voice-savion-wright-5043138/). Jej is part of Sheer Element and previously competed as a solo artist in The Voice season 16. So, who is Sheer Element? [Sheer Element](https://www.instagram.com/sheerelement/?hl=en) takes the stage on March 7, stand the group showcases their immense talent with an epic performance.

St. Louis-native Neil Salsich used a soulful rendition of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues" to turn the chairs of all four judges Monday night on "The Voice ...

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